The turf field at West Genesee is seasick at the moment. The ground underneath the school's main football and lacrosse field is heaving from the effects of our brutal winter.

The damage is largely confined along the football sideline nearest the stadium. A walk along that side of the field reveals bumps, berms and an occasional sink hole.

The school has been forced to declare the field unplayable for now. That means two of the state's preeminent lacrosse programs must find surrogate homes for their games.

The boys lacrosse team met Baldwinsville Tuesday night at Nottingham. On Wednesday night, the Wildcats girls team opens their season against Baldwinsville at Fayetteville-Manlius. Both Genny teams have Saturday games using the turf at F-M. The boys have already played one game at Onondaga Community College. The girls are using the field at Westhill for another home game next week against Victor.

West Genesee athletics director Michael Burns said the hope is that the heaving at West Genesee is temporary and that the turf field will return to a flat surface once the ground thaws. That's what happened last year, though things appear worse this spring.

"It's significant enough that it's unplayable for games," Burns said. "We're able to practice on it by coning off the areas. But there are definitely safety issues for games.

"In talking with our grounds people and a couple of turf companies, they think it's one of those things where you have to wait for Mother Nature to be cooperative and thaw it out. They said the frost lines go a little deeper than normal. We just have to wait for that warm weather, if it is ever going to come."

Burns said if there are more serious and lasting issues to the turf once the ground thaws, the school may move their home lacrosse games to the high school's grass field stadium.

In the meantime, he's looking for more area turf fields to place the Wildcats.

"We'll be a traveling team for a little while," Burns said.

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